Seed harvesting apparatus

ABSTRACT

Apparatus is disclosed for harvesting a crop of the character having stalks which carry seed pods, such as the sesame plant. The apparatus includes a harvesting vehicle which mounts at its front end a header structure. The header structure includes side-by-side guide units adapted for movement along individual rows of the stalks. Each guide unit includes a pair of forwardly diverging guide members which gently guide the stalks for relative movement toward rotary cutter units disposed generally at the apex of the guide members. Horizontally extending, spaced-apart stabilizer fingers are mounted for movement along each guide unit in a path toward the cutter units for stabilizing the stalks prior to and during the time that they are cut off. Drive apparatus is provided for controlling rearward movement of the fingers at a rate substantially equal to the rate of forward vehicle travel whereby the fingers maintain registry with the stalks up to the point at which they are cut off. A take-away conveyor is provided and comprises an endless belt which is joined together at its ends to form a flap which projects in a direction rearwardly and downwardly along the lower run of the conveyor. A control system is provided to selectively reverse conveyor movement so that the flap is moved across the upper surface of a panel below the conveyor for sweeping seeds rearwardly toward a crop collecting conveyor on the vehicle.

RELATED CASES

This application is a continuation in part of application Ser. No.776,872 filed on Mar. 11, 1977, now abandoned which is a continuation ofapplication, Ser. No. 596,718 filed on July 17, 1975, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates in general to harvesting machinery and inparticular relates to the harvesting of crops which are characterized inhaving stalks which carry seed pods that tend to easily shatter andrelease seeds when moved or jarred.

Crops which have fragile seed pods of the type described include thesesame plant. Sesame seeds are of increasing importance as a source ofprotein and other food values in view of the population explosion, therelative decrease in food supply, and the resulting increase in worldmalnutrition and starvation problems.

Sesame plants when ready for harvest comprise stalks which are six toeight feet in height with many seed-bearing pods attached to the stalkof each plant. It is a characteristic of these sesame plants that theripe pods carrying the seeds are fragile such that the pods have atendency to shatter and open when moved or jarred so that the seeds fromeach pod fall to the ground and are lost.

Heretofore the foregoing problem of pod shattering has precludedpractical mechanical harvesting of sesame crops. When conventional grainharvesters having a reel and sickle are utilized a loss of from 70 to90% of the seed is encountered. As a result it has been necessary tomanually harvest these crops. The resulting high labor content in theharvesting operation has resulted in low yields and high crop costs.Thus the need has been recognized for apparatus which will harvest cropssuch as sesame plants without substantial product loss. With suchmechanical harvesting apparatus the sesame crop could be more fullyemployed in solving the world food problem.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a general object of the invention to provide a new and improvedapparatus for harvesting crops such as sesame plants.

Another object is to provide apparatus of the type described which isadapted to harvest a crop characterized in having seeds carried infragile pods such that seed loss during harvest is minimized.

Another object is to provide apparatus of the type described in whichthe plant stalks are stabilized by moving fingers as the stalks aregently guided along a path toward cutting means such that the cut stalkfalls rearwardly toward a take-away conveyor.

Another object is to provide apparatus of the type described in whichany seed falling from pods which may shatter during harvesting arecollected on pans and directed toward the take-away conveyor.

The invention in summary includes a header structure which is mounted onthe front end of a harvesting vehicle. The header structure includes aplurality of laterally spaced-apart guide units each of which includes apair of guide members which diverge forwardly from an apex for gentlyguiding the stalks in relative movement toward cutter means at the apex.The cutter means includes a stationary blade together with a pluralityof blades mounted for rotation about an axis relative to the stationaryblade. Each guide unit further includes a plurality of horizontallyextending stabilizer fingers which are mounted in spaced-apartrelationship on an endless carrier for movement in a path lying in aplane above the cutter blades. Drive means is provided for moving thefingers in a direction toward the cutter means at a rate equal toforward vehicle movement so that the fingers stabilize the stalks priorto and during the time that they are cut off. The cut stalks and seedsare directed onto a take-away conveyor comprising an endless belt whichis driven so that its upper run moves the product to a feed auger andinto the harvesting vehicle. A flap on the belt of the take-awayconveyor projects in a direction downwardly and rearwardly of the lowerrun so that selective reverse movement of the belt moves the flap acrossthe upper surface of a pan to scoop seeds rearwardly toward thetake-away conveyor.

The foregoing and additional objects and features of the invention willbecome apparent from the following description in which the preferredembodiments have been set forth in detail in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of harvesting apparatus incorporating theinvention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the header structure of the apparatus ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the header structure of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the header structure.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary top plan view of component parts of the headerstructure.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line of 6--6 ofFIG. 5.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In the drawings FIG. 1 illustrates generally at 10 apparatus which isspecially adapted in accordance with the invention for harvesting a cropsuch as sesame seeds which grows on stalks carrying seed pods. Apparatus10 comprises a header structure 12 mounted on the front end of aharvesting vehicle 14. The vehicle in the illustrated embodimentcomprises a design having pneumatic tires and is driven by a suitableinternal combustion engine. Header structure 12 operates to cut andconvey the crop in a manner to be described into an upwardly inclinedconveyor 16 (FIG. 4) disposed within the front end housing 18 of thevehicle. The vehicle incorporates conventional equipment for separatingthe seeds from the stalks, leaves and other refuse, and a bin 20 isprovided at the rear of the vehicle for temporary storage of the seed.The stalks and refuse are discharged to one side of the vehicle througha discharge spout 22. The construction and operation of the seedseparating apparatus is broadly conventional and thus need not bedescribed in further detail.

Header structure 12 comprises a frame 24 which is mounted on andprojects forwardly of the housing 18. The frame carries a plurality ofcutter units 26-29 which are transversely spaced apart a distancesubstantially equal to the distance between the rows of the crop. In theillustrated embodiment adapted for harvesting sesame plants four cutterunits are provided at thirty inch spacing between each unit where therows of plants are thirty inches apart. A plurality of guide units 32-35are mounted on the frame in association with respective cutter units.The guide units serve to guide the stalks, which may be leaning or bentin random directions, into alignment toward the cutter units as thevehicle moves along the rows.

Frame 24 includes upstanding side walls 35, 38 and rear wall 40 whichform an upwardly and forwardly open enclosure for receiving theharvested crop. These walls together with a pair of wall extensions 42,44 mounted along the guide units 32, 35 retain and channel the cutstalks and seed back toward the rear of the enclosure.

The cutter unit 29 and associated guide unit 35 are typical of the unitsand will be described in detail, and it is understood that the remainingcutter and guide units are similar in construction and operation. Cutterunit 29 comprises a fixed blade 46 which is formed with a sharpenedforwardly directed cutting edge, together with a plurality oftriangularly shaped rotary blades 48 mounted about the periphery of awheel 50 which in turn is mounted for rotation about a vertical axis ona shaft 52. Drive means 54 is provided for turning shaft 52 clockwisewhen viewed from above so that movement of the rotary blades across theupper surface of the fixed blades creates a scissors-type cutting actionwhich cleanly severs the stalks. The cutter units 26-29 are mounted at apredetermined distance above the ground, depending upon the crop whichis being harvested. Where the crop is the sesame plant the cutter unitsare preferably mounted so that the stalks are cut off at a minimumheight of six inches.

The typical guide unit 35 is defined by a flat sheet metal pan 56 and ahollow sheet metal housing 58 which encloses rotary blades 48 and thedrive means 54. The pan 56 and housing 58 are mounted on and projectforwardly from frame 24. Housing 58 includes an upstanding side wall 60which is inclined in a direction rearwardly and toward cutter unit 29,while the opposed pan 56 is formed with a side surface 62 which isinclined in an opposite direction so that the wall 60 and surface 62diverge forwardly and co-act to guide portions of the stalks inwardlytoward an elongate channel 64 defined between the rearward portions ofpan 56 and housing 58. The top wall 66 of the pan as well as the topwall 68 of the housing are mounted to incline forwardly and upwardly,and these walls are bounded by short upstanding rims 67, 69 so that anyseeds which fall from the pods as the header approaches the stalks willbe collected on the top walls and moved by the action of gravity andvehicle vibration in a rearward direction for subsequent collection. Theopposite upstanding side wall 70 of the adjacent housing 72 comes to apoint with surface 62, and this side wall serves as a crop guidingsurface for the adjacent guide unit 34. A pair of guide members 74, 76are mounted on the guide unit on opposite sides of channel 64. Theseguide members each comprise elongate flat straps which are positioned todiverge forwardly from an apex in the region of cutter unit 29. Theangle at which the guide members are inclined from the longitudinaldirection is relatively small, and in the illustrated embodiment is inthe range of 4° to 6°. This small angle of incline of the guide membersserves to gently urge toward the center line of the cutter unit 29 anystalks which may be leaning, bent or otherwise not in proper alignmentfor cut off by the blades.

Stabilizer means 78 is provided for stabilizing and holding the stalksas they proceed along channel 64 between guide members 74 and 76. Thestabilizer means includes a plurality of horizontally extendingstabilizer fingers 80 mounted at spaced-apart positions about an endlesscarrier chain 82. The carrier chain is trained between a drive sprocket84 and a driven sprocket 86 which in turn are mounted for rotation aboutvertical axes. The drive sprocket 84 is driven in a clockwise direction,as viewed from above, to move the chain so that its outer run 88, whichlies in a plane disposed above guide member 76, carriers the stabilizerfingers along a path inclined at a small angle from the longitudinaldirection toward cutter unit 29. The angle of inclination of chain run88 from a longitudinal direction is substantially equal to thecorresponding angle of inclination of guide member 76 so that rearwardmovement of run 88 causes the fingers to project outwardly from and movegenerally parallel with this guide member.

Drive means 54 is connected to drive stabilizer fingers 80 in conjointrelationship with rotation of cutter blade wheel 50 and also in conjointrelationship with forward vehicle movement. The drive means includes asuitable drive motor 90, which preferably comprises an hydraulic motorreceiving pressurized fluid through conduit 92 from an hydraulic pump 94and reservoir 96, with return fluid being directed back to the reservoirthrough conduit 98. An on-off valve 100 is provided in the circuit aswell as a flow control valve 102 for selectively controlling the thespeed of drive motor 90 and thereby control the speed of the cutterunits and stabilizer fingers.

Drive motor 90 turns a drive sprocket 104 connected with an endlesschain 106 which has its forward run 108 trained through a series ofdriven sprockets 110, 112 and idler sprockets 114, 116 for conjointlyoperating each of the cutter and guide units. The cutter unit 29 isoperated from driven sprocket 110 keyed on vertical shaft 52 whichdirectly rotates the blade wheel 50. The guide unit 35 is operated froma drive sprocket 118 which is also keyed on shaft 52 for driving carrierchain 82 and a driven sprocket 122. The sprocket 122 drives a shaft 124which is keyed with the drive sprocket 84 of stabilizer means 78. Thedriven sprocket 86 at the rearward end of the carrier chain is mountedfor free rotation on the end of the shaft 52.

The diameters of the sprockets 118 and 122 are selected so that a largespeed ratio, preferable on the order of 3:1, is established between theperipheral speed rotary blades 48 and the speed of fingers 80. Inaddition, control valve 102 of the hydraulic circuit is selectivelycontrolled during a harvesting operation so that the rearward speed ofmovement of the fingers 80 relative to the vehicle is substantiallyequal to the forward group speed of the vehicle. This speed relationshipcauses the stabilizer fingers to maintain zero ground speed so that thefingers remain in register with the stalks. As a result the stalks aregently stabilized by the fingers during their movement toward and at thetime of cut-off by the blades without being jolted or moved to anyappreciable degree longitudinally of their ground location so that theseed pods are not unduly shaken or disturbed. In addition, bent orleaning stalks which are contacted by the forwardly moving inclinedguide members 74 and 76 will be prevented by the stabilizer fingers frombeing pushed forward any appreciable amount by the guide members. Thusthe stabilizer fingers gently hold the stalks against longitudinaldisplacement while the relative forward movement of the guide memberscoact to gently move the leaning or bent stalks toward the center lineof the channel 35 for proper cut off operation.

As illustrated in FIG. 5 the driven sprocket 86 of carrier chain 82 isdisposed above the region of cutter unit 29 so that the fingers arecarried in an arcuate path over the cutting zone. The resulting angularacceleration of the fingers along this arcuate path assists in urgingthe immediately cut stalks in a direction rearwardly toward a take-awayconveyor 126 mounted behind the cutter units. In addition, the forwardvelocity of the vehicle is such that the stalks tend to fall head firstand backward by gravity onto the take-away conveyor. Seeds which fallfrom the shattered pods as the stalks are cut will also fall onto thetake-away conveyor.

Take-away conveyor 126 comprises an endless belt 128 mounted between adrive drum 130 and a driven drum 132 which in turn are mounted forrotation about transverse axes between the side walls of frame 24. Aplurality of transversely extending spaced-apart cleats 134 are mountedon the outer surface of the belt to assist in moving the harvested croprearwardly for discharge into a feed auger 136.

Feed auger 136 comprises a hollow cylindrical shell 138 mounted on anaxle 139 for rotation about a transverse axis between the discharge endof take-away conveyor 126 and an opening 140 in rear wall 40 leading tothe infeed end of crop-receiving conveyor 16 within the vehicle. Anauger flight 142 having a left-hand thread pitch is mounted about theleft end of the shell while an auger flight 144 having a right-handthread pitch is mounted about the right end of the shell so thatrotation of the shell in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed inFIG. 4, feeds the crop towards the center of the auger from which it iscarried away by conveyor 16.

Drive means 146 is provided for conjointly operating the take-awayconveyor and auger. The drive means in the illustrated embodimentincludes an hydraulic motor 148 powered by pressurized fluid receivedthrough conduit 150 from hydraulic pump 94, with return fluid beingdirected through conduit 152 back to the reservoir. Motor 148 is coupledwith a drive sprocket 154 which in turn drives auger 136 through anendless chain 156 and driven sprocket 158. A drive sprocket 160 keyed tothe axle 139 drives the take away conveyor through means of an endlesschain 162 which is trained around a driven sprocket 164 connected withconveyor drive drum 130 as well as a pair of idler sprockets 166, 168. Asuitable flow reversing control valve 170 is provided in the hydrauliccircuit for selectively reversing the direction of operation of motor148 and thereby reverse the take-away conveyor.

The belt 128 of conveyor 126 is joined together at its ends by suitablefasteners 172 with one end 174 of the belt overlapping with andprojecting in a direction which is inclined rearwardly and downwardly ofthe lower run, as illustrated in FIG. 6. A panel 176 is mounted belowthis conveyor in close spaced relationship with this lower run. When theflap moves along the lower run it moves across the upper surface of thepanel and scoops any seeds collected thereon rearwardly to the auger.Thus, when it is desired to clean out seed from beneath the conveyor theoperator reverses the drive motor 148 for driving belt 128counter-clockwise for a short period of time, afterwhich the drive motoris again reversed for driving the belt clockwise to resume theharvesting operation.

The use and operation of the invention will be explained in relation tothe harvesting of a sesame crop planted in thirty inch rows. Vehicle 14is moved along the rows while simultaneously operating the cutter andstabilizer drive motor 90 and the take-away conveyor and auger drivemotor 148. The drive means 54 from motor 90 simultaneously powers thefour cutter units 26-29 to turn the rotary cutter blades in ascissorstype cutting action across the respective stationary blades. Thedrive train also simultaneously operates the four stabilizer fingerchains to move in a rearward direction toward the respective cutterunits, with flow control valve 102 being set so that the speed of fingermovement relative to the vehicle is equal to vehicle ground speed.

As the vehicle moves forward the stalks of the plants which may beleaning or bent from the center line of the rows are gradually andgently urged inwardly toward the center line by the inclined surfaces 60and 62. When the channel 64 of each guide unit progresses to the stalksthe stabilizing fingers 80 emerge along the outer run of the carrierchain and project laterally between the stalks. Continued forwardmovement of the vehicle causes the inclined guide members 74, 76 tofurther gently urge the stalks toward the center line while the fingers80, due to their zero ground speed, remain stationary relative to thestalks and tend to hold and stabilize the stalks against longitudinalmovement up to and during the time that they are cut off by the cutterunits. While the stalks are moving in the region of the headerstructure, any seeds which fall from the pods will tend to be collectedon the surfaces of the top walls 66, 68 from which they move rearwardlyby the action of gravity and vibration toward take-away conveyor 126. Asthe stalks are cut off by the cutter units they will fall head firstrearwardly onto the take-away conveyor, the upper run of which movesrearwardly to carry the stalks and seeds into auger 136. Rotation of theauger feeds the product toward its center for discharge into conveyor 16which in turn carries the product into the seed separating apparatuswithin the vehicle. When it is desired to clean out seeds below thetake-away conveyor, the vehicle is stopped and motor 148 is reverselyoperated for moving the belt 128 counterclockwise so that its flap 174moves across the upper surface of panel 176 to scoop the seedsrearwardly into the auger.

It will be realized from the foregoing that there has been provided anew and improved apparatus for harvesting a crop of the character havingfragile pods which may be easily shattered and prematurely releaseseeds. The apparatus of the invention employs a mode of operation whichgently guides and stabilizes the plant stalks for the cutting actionsuch that seeds and stalks which are cut are efficiently collected witha much higher percentage of seed recovery as compared to conventionalmachinery in harvesting crops of this type.

While the foregoing embodiment is at present considered to be preferred,it is understood that numerious variations and modifications may be madein it by those skilled in tha art and it is intended to cover in theappended claims all such variations and modifications as fall within thetrue spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. In an apparatus for harvesting sesame stalksstanding in rows in a field and having pods thereon carrying sesameseeds therein, said pods being of a type which have a tendency toshatter and release their seeds when they are moved or jarred, a vehicleadapted to be moved through the field, stalk severing apparatus carriedby the vehicle, said stalk severing apparatus including first and secondstalk guiding assemblies defining a generally V-shaped opening forreceiving and guiding stalks as the vehicle is advanced in the field, anupwardly facing seed receiving pan which is open throughout its entirelength carried by each of said stalk guiding assemblies for receivingand collecting seeds which accidentally fall from the pods during thetime the stalks are moving in the generally V-shaped opening between theguiding assemblies, said pan for each stalk guiding assembly extendingup to the forwardmost extremity of the stalk guiding assembly,rotary-type cutoff means operating at a high rate of speed disposed inthe vicinity of the rear of said generally V-shaped opening for severingsaid stalks as they travel in the generally V-shaped opening with aminimum of vibration to thereby minimize the scattering of seeds fromthe pods as the stalks are severed, conveyor-type means carried by thevehicle for collecting severed stalks and the seeds collected in saidseed receiving pans and seed separating means carried by the vehicle forreceiving the stalks and seeds from the conveyor-type means, at leastone of stalk guiding assemblies including a plurality of fingersextending into said generally V-shaped opening and in the vicinity ofthe rotary cutoff means extending substantially traversely across saidV-shaped opening and means for moving said fingers in said opening at aspeed which is approximately equal to the speed of movement of thevehicle in the field for maintaining the stalks in generally uprightpositions without jolting of the stalks as they are advanced through theV-shaped opening, said fingers being adapted to engage said stalks inthe V-shaped opening prior to, during and after the time they are cutoff by the rotary cut off means.
 2. Apparatus as in claim 1 in which therotary-type cutoff means includes a rotary cutter which travels at aspeed which is the order at least of 3 to 1 times the speed of thefingers.
 3. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said means for moving saidfingers in said generally V-shaped opening includes drive means disposedbelow the seed receiving pan of the stalk guiding assembly.
 4. Apparatusas in claim 3 wherein said means for driving said fingers includes anendless carrier traveling in an arcuate path in the vicinity of therotary-type cutoff means whereby as said fingers travel over saidarcuate path, they accelerate movement of the stalks away from thegenerally V-shaped opening and onto the conveyor-type means. 5.Apparatus as in claim 1 together with seed separating apparatus carriedby the vehicle for removing the sesame seeds from the pods.
 6. Apparatusas in claim 2 in which the rotary cutoff means and the means for movingsaid fingers includes a common hydraulic drive motor.
 7. Apparatus as inclaim 1 wherein said conveyor-type means carried by the vehicle includesa feeder housing a U-shaped frame secured to the feeder housing andhaving an opening therein in communication with the feeder housing, afeed auger rotatably mounted in the U-shaped framework for rotationabout an axis transverse to the direction of travel of the harvester,said feed auger having right and left handed flights for advancingmaterial from opposite sides of the U-shaped framework towards thecenter and into the opening into the feeder housing, an endlessbelt-type take away conveyor mounted in the U-shaped frameworkimmediately to the rear of the stalk guiding assemblies and extendinginto relatively close proximity to the feed auger so that stalks andpods which are severed and delivered onto the endless conveyor aredelivered to the feed auger and from the feed auger into the feederhousing.
 8. Apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said rotary-type cut-offmeans includes a fixed blade, a wheel, a plurality of blades removablycarried by said wheel, said blades having V-shaped recesses therebetweenextending inwardly toward the center of the wheel so that the stalks canenter the recesses and be severed by cutting action between the nextblades of the wheel and the fixed blade.
 9. Apparatus as in claim 8wherein said blades carried by said wheel are generally triangularlyshaped.
 10. In a stalk severing apparatus for use with a harvestingmachine of the type having a crop receiving conveyor and a seedseparator for use in harvesting sesame seed from sesame stalks standingin a field and having pods thereon carrying sesame seeds therein, thepods being of a type which have a tendency to shatter and release theseeds therein from when they are moved or jarred, the apparatuscomprising first and second stalk guiding assemblies defining agenerally V-shaped opening for receiving and guiding stalks as thevehicle is advanced in the field, an upwardly facing seed receiving panwhich is open along its entire length carried by each of said stalkguiding assemblies for receiving and collecting seeds which accidentallyfall from the pods during the time that the stalks are moving in thegenerally V-shaped opening, said pan for said stalk guiding assemblyextending up to the forwardmost extremity of the stalk guiding assembly,rotary-type cutoff means opening at a high rate of speed disposed in thevicinity of the rear of said generally V-shaped opening for severingsaid stalks as they travel in the generally V-shaped opening with aminimum of vibration to minimize the scattering of seeds from the podson the stalks and for delivering the stalks to the conveyor, a pluralityof fingers, and means for moving said fingers in said generally V-shapedopening to engage said stalks at a speed which is substantially equal tothe speed of movement of the stalk severing apparatus in the field tomaintain the stalks in a generally upright position, said fingers in thevicinity of the rotary cutoff means extending substantially transverselyacross said V-shaped opening so that the fingers are adapted to engagesaid stalks in the V-shaped opening prior to, during and after the timethey are cut off by the rotary cut-off means.
 11. Apparatus as in claim10 wherein said crop receiving conveyor comprises a U-shaped frameworkhaving an open front side with the stalk guiding assemblies disposed inthe forward extremity of the U-shaped framework with the V-shapedopenings between the stalk guiding assemblies facing toward the openingin the front side, a feeder housing secured to the framework, an openingin the framework in communication with the feeder housing, a feed augerdisposed in the U-shaped framework immediately in front of the openingand having an axis of rotation perpendicular to the V-shaped openings,said feed auger having right and left hand flights for advancingmaterial from opposite sides of the framework into the opening of thefeeder housing and an endless conveyor belt mounted within the frameworkto the rear of the stalk guiding assemblies for advancing material as itis severed into the feed auger and for the feed auger to advance thesame into the feeder housing.
 12. A header assembly for use with aharvesting vehicle having a crop receiing conveyor at its front end andin which the crop is of the character comprising upstanding stalks, theheader assembly comprising a combination of a frame adapted for mountingon the front end of the vehicle, cutter blade means mounted on theframe, guide means on the frame for guiding stalks for relative movementalong paths toward said cutter blade means as the vehicle movesforwardly through the stalks, a plurality of transversely extendingstabilizer fingers mounted for spaced-apart serial movement along a pathwhich extends along the guide means toward the cutter blade means anddrive means for moving the fingers in a rearward direction relative tothe vehicle whereby the fingers act to hold stalks upright as they areguided towards the cutter blade means, an upwardly facing seed receivingpan disposed adjacent the guide means and which is open throughout itsentire length, a take-away conveyor comprising an endless belt and meansmounting the belt for movement in vertically spaced upper and lowerruns, and drive means coupled to the take-away conveyor for moving itsupper run in the direction from the cutter blade means toward the cropreceiving conveyor, said endless belt including a transversely extendingflap which projects from the lower run of the belt in a directiondownwardly and rearwardly of the header assembly, a bottom panel mountedon the frame in close-spaced relationship below the lower run of thetake-away conveyor, and control means for operating the drive means toselectively reversely drive the take-away conveyor with the lower run ofthe belt moving in a direction toward the crop receiving conveyorwhereby the flap means moves across the upper surface of the panel andscoops the crop collected thereon in a direction toward the cropreceiving conveyor.